Ingredient info:Edible rice paper, a.k.a. wafer paper, can be found at baking supply stores and beryls.com.

Special Equipment

An 8x8" baking pan; a candy thermometer

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly coat baking pan with nonstick spray. Line with plastic wrap, leaving a 1" overhang on all sides. Set aside.

Spread out pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring once, until just beginning to turn light golden brown in spots, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Coarsely chop and set aside.

Combine sugar, honey, and 2 tablespoons water in a small deep heavy saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of pan. Increase heat and boil until thermometer registers 252°F, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat egg white and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form.

With mixer running, gradually stream hot syrup into egg whites. Beat until meringue is thick, has tripled in volume, and has cooled slightly, 10-12 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add cherries and pistachios to meringue; mix nougat with a rubber spatula to distribute evenly.

Place one 8x8" sheet of rice paper (or 8x8" sheet of parchment paper sprayed with nonstick spray) in the prepared pan. Transfer nougat to pan, spreading in an even layer. Top with second sheet of rice paper (or 8x8" sheet of parchment paper sprayed with nonstick spray). Using an offset spatula, press the nougat into an even layer. Let stand at room temperature until set, about 2 hours.

Using overhang from plastic wrap, lift nougat out of pan and transfer to a work surface; discard plastic. Run a large sharp knife under hot tap water; wipe dry. Cut nougat crosswise into 4 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 10 pieces, occasionally reheating knife under hot water and wiping dry. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

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Reviews

My forks are stuck but this recipe is a 4! I love it because I have kids with food allergies. I made it last Christmas and making it again for Valentine's Day. If you follow the directions and use the candy thermometer it turns out perfectly. Using sugar paper instead this time and decorating the top with hearts. Can't wait!!

I agree with all the disappointed on this one. It turned into a gooey, too sweet, too honey taste mess. Despite using rice paper it glued itself on to the plate I served a variety of goodies on. No one ate it but the rest of my confections disappeared in a flash. Will not make again.

I did not have the problems that others did with the recipe. I made it over the holidays because my father loves torrone and the cherry and pistachio combo sounded amazing. It was my first time making nougat and I found the process interesting/mildly scary. I followed the recipe exactly and cooked the sugar/honey mixture to 252 degrees. I was a bit worried when, after 10 minutes of mixing, the nougat didn't quite triple in size, but it was the perfect consistency and totally delicious! I will definitely make this again.

This recipe is great minus one change - you need to cook the sugar to a higher temp. 265-270 worked perfect for me. The first time I made them they got gooey after 24 hours. Withe the higher temp, the cookies held their shape for 4 days (now they are all eaten). Thought the flavor was great too.

I can usually count on epicurious and Bon Appetit recipes to be on target but this one was a bomb. I love nougat and was really excited about the cherry pistachio combo. So I was disappointed to end up with a pan of marshmallow fluff.

This was super easy
to make and be aware
that it is very,
very sweet. Not my
kind of thing but a
Persian friend gave
me top marks for
making this candy
and it certainly is
festive with the
green pistachio and
dried cherry. I did
not use rice paper,
I used parchment and
everything worked
out great, even
though I forgot to
oil or spritz the
parchment with
cooking spray.

REALLY wish I would have checked the reviews before starting to make these - yup, something is wrong with this recipe. I just finished them and was excited to start cutting them and putting them alongside the rest of my Christmas cookie spread but no - these are just mush, not nougat. I agree that the concept is great, but the consistency is all wrong.

This recipe looked interesting and so did the use of the rice paper. I followed the recipe exactly as written. I re-read it several times to make sure I followed the steps. My result was similar to others - a nougat that did not set well and remained way too sticky. I eventually froze the nougat, then cut and handled it frozen, wrapping each piece in lightly oil sprayed foil. It was a lot of effort for a below average finished product.

This recipe has waaaay too much honey in it. When I made it, I thought it was a but much, but I always try to follow the recipe as closely as possible the first time I make something. However, this nougat stays very loose.
My theory is this: honey is an invert sugar. Small amounts of invert sugar are added to caramels to keep them from crystalizing. However, if you add too much, you'll end up with a liquid syrup. This recipe added extra honey for flavoring, but I'm sure that they tested the amount of it exactly. As a result, the nougat does not harden. Instead, it's far closer to a marshmallow.
But, I love making marshmallows. The process of adding hot sugar syrup to egg whites is fun, and I hope to find a more successful recipe. Thank goodness I have a 1950's Joy of Cooking, complete with nougat recipe. I'll try that next time.

1 Fork due to the fact it is nougat (who doesn't like nougat?), but this recipe turned into toothpaste the next day. Cherry/pistachio is a good combo, but nougat is a bit bland. I will add vanilla to next batch. I cooked the second batch to 275 F, and it was still gooey. 252 isn't even close tot he right temp. I am going to review my other nougat recipes for better technique.

This recipe turned
out perfectly for
me. I cooked the
sugar mixture to
about 257 degrees,
rather than 252, but
not on purpose.
Maybe that made a
difference. It is
soft, but was easy
to cut and tastes
wonderful. I did
use salted
pistachios.

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who had trouble. Not sure I would call this nougat. Made twice thinking something went wrong the first time. Followed exactly as written and turned out like some industrial paste both times.

I agree. I was so
disappointed. I was
very careful with my
measurements and
temperatures. I
even tried to bake
it after the fact to
see if I could get
it to dry out. But
it is now in the
freezer in one big
clump waiting for
inspiration to hit.

Something is seriously wrong with this recipe - I believe the sugar syrup should be cooked to a much higher temperature (closer to 300F or hard crack stage). The mixture tastes fine, but is a sticky uncuttable mess. Very dissapointing.